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Where to go as a fine-dining lover in the wine region around Alba:

The Langhe in Alba’s surroundings has some of the best (Michelin) fine-dining restaurants in the whole Piedmont. This region, located rather in the Piedmont’s south, really is a heaven for travelers being into culinary highlights. In addition, it features not only extraordinarily beautiful hills full of vineyards but also some of the best wines in Italy. Think in this context of Barolo or Barbaresco. But back to the foodies’ delights. My husband and I stayed recently in the Langhe, and this the second time in three years. This time we lodged in Alba’s south, and this is also where we had dinner at gourmet restaurants on four occasions. Find out in the following about three of the best (Michelin) fine-dining spots in the Piedmont’s Langhe region.

Before going into this topic, first a few lines to the journey my husband and I have undertaken in the Piedmont/Swiss west.

11-day road trip in the Piedmont/Swiss west in style

The trip led us first to the “typical” Piedmont meaning rolling hills covered with vineyards. This time we chose a luxury hotel south of Alba, Casa di Langa (my post). On the way to this first main destination, we made a stopover in Caluso, in the north of the Piedmont capital of Turin. The second focus of our journey – after leaving the Langhe – was the Lake Maggiore area further north. Here we stayed in Stresa, at Boutique Hotel Stresa (post to follow), another high end accommodation. Before going home, we made one last short stop. This was in the Swiss west in the Vallée de Joux, close to Lake Geneva.

Always when traveling, my husband and I are on the lookout for hotels that allow staying in style. Yet we do not lose sight of the price aspect. We do not pay ridiculously high rates. The same is true for restaurants. We are foodies and value dining at upscale restaurants. In order to find the “right” places, we of course also study restaurant guides. Here we especially rely on Michelin.

Now to some of the best fine-dining restaurants in the Langhe region.

3 of the best (Michelin) fine-dining restaurants near Alba/Langhe

On our Piedmont stay around Alba my husband and I had dinner at four foodie places. And we identified three of the best fine-dining addresses in the Langhe for fine-dining lovers. With regard to the fourth spot, it did not meet our high expectations. I will not go into it but you can find its name in our trip’s itinerary made with Google My Map. As to the other three restaurants near Alba, they certainly belong to the best in this area. I will list them in descending order of my fondness.

1. Restaurant Borgo Sant’Anna in Monforte d’Alba

About

Restaurant Borgo Sant’Anna is one of about a dozen of Michelin one-star restaurants in the Langhe wine region. It is helmed by Pasquale Laera, a 36 year-old chef from Apulia, in Italy’s south. Yet he has been working in the Piedmont for many years and knows the rules and codes of the regional cuisine. He was sous-chef of Antonino Cannavacciuolo, the Michelin three-star chef at Villa Crespi Lake Orta – see here my post about dining there. Later on, he was in charge at Restaurant La Rei at the Boscareto Resort where he gained a Michelin star in 2014. Here he worked together with Fabio Mirici Cappa, host and sommelier.

In 2019, the two of them started a new chapter at Borgo Sant’Anna in Monforte d’Alba. One year later, the dining spot was awarded a Michelin star here as well. Pasquale Laera’s cuisine revisits Italian respectively Piedmontese traditions yet from a new perspective and with modern techniques. So, something new is created.

What to expect at Borgo Sant’Anna?

Already the setting has a wow factor. When approaching the restaurant, remotely located in the hills of Monforte d’Alba, you are impressed. Because Borgo Sant’Anna is housed in a manorlike building amid vineyards!

And the dining room is beautiful, kept in a contemporary style with lots of wood and large picture windows. So, you can gaze at the stunning surroundings – hills full of vines and the one or other distant building or village.

And of course, you have the same views from the splendid outdoor area.

In a separate yet connected building you find the open kitchen. It overlooks a “table room” as Laera calls it. There is space for eight seats, and a special menu is served here.

On offer at Borgo Sant’Anna are three menus: Langhe and History for 90€, Passions and Origins for 100€ and Hunting Solo for 155€. In addition, you can choose from an à la carte menu. My husband and I opted for the least expensive choice. Its components suited as just right. And you cannot go for the whole shebang all the time when dining at high-end restaurants almost every day of your trip. In hindsight, if I had known how good it was, I would probably have decided otherwise.

How was it at one of the best-fine dining restaurants in the Langhe?

One says first impressions are the most powerful. Here it was not the case because the welcome was not the warmest we ever had! We were one or two minutes early and the restaurant had just opened at the time of our reservation. And the table we got – we were the first guests in the dining room – was not the least good but certainly not one of the best. Anyway, my husband and I do not usually make hasty judgements. And everything what followed at Borgo Sant’Anna was top notch.

We were already wowed when the snacks arrived. After several decades of dining at high-end restaurant we have seen a lot in this respect, yet what we had here beat many other higher-ranking establishments! And what followed – we had four courses – , was nothing short of amazing. Be it the trout, the ravioli or the Royal Rooster.

And the chef’s take on one of my favorite desserts, Zuppa Inglese, was genial! Plus, the petit fours were the perfect way to end this fabulous meal!

After a somewhat not ideal start here, the staff knew how to win also demanding guests over! Especially the sommelier was not only accommodative yet also very knowledgeable – he well advised my husband on what Barolo wine to order. And when leaving, we met the chef who shook hands with us and inquired about our evening. You know, the second most important impressions are the last ones!

2. Restaurant Uri Sapori Condivisi Roddino

About one of the best fine-dining spots in the Langhe

We came across this restaurant by chance, mostly because it was very close to the hotel we stayed (Hotel Casa Langa). Uri Sapori Condivisi is not included – to our astonishment – in the Michelin guide. And this is not because it is too new to be featured (opened in March 2018). A young couple is in charge of this dining spot. It is about chef Seul Ki Kim (born in 1991) from Seoul in South Korea and chef/host Frederica Vaira (born in 1994), daughter of Piedmontese farmers. In 2015, they both worked at the kitchen of chef Massimo Camia’s restaurant – which is nearby and has a Michelin star. Later, Kim moved on to work for three-star Michelin chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo (just like the chef of above restaurant, Borgo Sant’Anna). After some more stages, the newlyweds opened – as already mentioned – their own restaurant, Uri Sapori Condivisi.

As I understand, the slightly cumbersome name of Uri Sapori Condivisi means following: in Korean Uri is We or Our. It expresses closeness or intimacy. And Sapori Condivisi is Italian for Shared Flavors. I think that means that South Korean cuisine meets the Piedmontese at this place. And a look at the menu confirms this.

What to expect at Uri Sapori Condivisi?

The restaurant is not in the town of Roddino but a few minutes by car away in the eastern direction. Here in a hamlet off the Strada Provinciale 57 it is in an uphill location. And this with a stunning view of the surrounding landscape full of rolling hills covered with vineyards.

When getting here, you even have to make the last part of the way on a dirt road.

Once arrived, you enter a room that somewhat feels cozy. It is neither rustic nor modern but somewhere in the middle. Yet it oozes a comfortable atmosphere. In case you are lucky with the weather, you can head straight to the outdoor area.

From here you have this fantastic view I described above. And if you lower your gaze, you can catch glimpses of their vegetable garden. The couple calls this place their restaurant’s heart. This because it is the spot where their cultures blend best.

When dining here, you can choose between three different menus, all of them with four courses. The Menu Uri costs 54.50€, the Menu New Flavors 70.50€ and the Mat-Uri Menu (a path dedicated to their garden) 60.50€.

How was it?

The dinner truly was something out of the ordinary, skillfully incorporating Italian and Korean influences. And this in such a way that a harmonious blend was created. My husband and I opted for the New Flavors menu. Here they served us – after some delightful snacks – raw char with Korean seaweed sauce. This was followed by a tasty grilled sweetbread with Korean sauce and fermented mandarin puree. Next was one of their signature dishes, Spaghetti dedicated to Federica. And they were wonderful, cooked in an extraction of roasted peppers. The main was an express cooked pigeon.

And before coming to the dessert there was the opportunity to order Kimchi as further intermediate course, what we did and liked. Dessert consisted of creamy vanilla pudding in combination with raspberry sauce, yoghurt, tonka bean and almond shortbread, delicious!

And some petit fours made the end of a fabulous meal.

Not only was the food convincing, but all the other aspects were too. The ambiance was relaxed yet not too much. So, it was still a refined dining experience without being uptight. It felt balanced and accompanied by great hospitality. And price wise it was really good value for money.